Sunday, May 31, 2009

And the whirl begins! Last week didn't quite go according to plan because I forgot about some events that were happening. Happily, the baseball fell through for Wednesday, so we loved WedSpag, with many thanks to Emily. Her sauce was fantastic and her boys exceedingly kind to my much younger ones. I can only hope mine grow up that well. Friday was my nephew's prom, so we stuck with tradition and had a cookout with burgers and dogs and chips after an embarrassingly large photo corps took pictures of the cute couples. And then Saturday was graduation parties and another prom photo shoot for my niece who is dating someone from a different high school and Sunday was brunch and my head is spinning. And we're not even halfway done. So here are the few things I'm pulling together this week.

Monday: John McCain's rib recipe. (How cool is that?) Baked potatoes (regular way since the crock is busy) and salad from the CSA box with manchego cheese (how did I lose a hunk of that in my fridge? sacrilege!), almonds, and dried cherries. (Yes, the cabinet cleanout theme continues.)

Tuesday: One of the graduations. Food on the run while we're out. I'll pack some Z-Bars and other yummies for the kids.

Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti but it might just be for us; my husband will be getting ready for his reunion out of state so not a good night to have people over.

The big news from my kitchen (and oh, how sad my life has gotten that there could even be "big news from my kitchen," or that the following would be it) is that I am jettisoning the crockpot. I want to love it, I really do. But either I have a different set of tastebuds (possible) or a weird crockpot (almost definitely) or something else goes wrong. There are a few recipes I love (the pork roast, my uber-easy chili) but overall, there aren't too many things I'd make again. I tried the shredded Asian beef that got rave reviews at A Year of Crockpotting but mine turned out dry (in less than five hours, nowhere near the recommended eight), didn't shred, and while it smelled heavenly, maybe it was the dryness but it didn't taste all that good either. Sigh. I should amend: it tasted better after a day in the fridge; it was in large part my fault for getting too excited with the five-spice powder; and my oldest actually did eat a full helping, so it's not like it was a failure. But it wasn't a home run either, and my crockpot just takes up so much space. So I am keeping it, but it's getting rotated to the lower level storage area. Right after I try the McCain ribs.

And, of course, the other key here is: my kids don't eat anything too doctored up anyway. Forget casseroles. Forget fancy much-of-anything. They were far happier with plain old turkey breast. (I wasn't as thrilled; I tried Mark Bittman's recipe with it cooked over shredded fennel--using an impulse purchase--and orange juice, and it was fine but not one of his best efforts. The recipe was a derivative of the turkey breast with cabbage two ways, which I've made and thought was fine, but I couldn't tell with this one whether I was supposed to keep the ginger in or not. I'm going to guess "yes" because I left it out and it was pretty bland. But it was very moist, and very tasty. So that was a semi-success.

Friday, May 29, 2009

#1. Anele’s question. Do you have a natural ability to cook or do you feel you just “get by?”

Oh, I so just get by. I wish I could develop something resembling natural ability but nothing yet and it's been years.

#2. Why do you buy the size eggs that you buy?

Since I've been baking more, I stick with large since XL can really throw off a recipe, as it turns out. But more than size, I try to look for cage-free eggs or buy them from a farmer whose farm I've visited.

#3. Do you have any cooking “rules”?

My instinct is "not really" but I'm sure my husband would laugh at that. One, I suppose, is that I don't fry in my kitchen. I'm just petrified of the oil exploding in flames.

#4. Fresh corn. Yellow, white or bicolored?

New Jersey Silver Queen but I'll eat 'em all! And I can't wait. I keep driving by the (few, small) cornfields around here and getting sad that they are plowed and not actually growing anything yet.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

First, thanks to all who made brunch suggestions! I am sad to say I ran out of energy with the prepping and enjoying of the preschool graduation party, but I am ready to go for the next brunch round, which is not far off.

This week is a bit of the eye of the storm; back from the weekend, we have one relaxed week before the family races all over the Eastern seaboard for graduations (high schools this time) and reunions. I'm still trying to take it easy on myself for the week; it was lovely eating so many things last week that were so easy, it gave me time to prep nice salads and fruit-based desserts.

Friday: trying again for teriyaki sirloin steak, sweet potatoes, and whatever veggie is in the CSA box (probably salad, maybe more asparagus, in which case I'd love to make this asparagus tart

As for last week...

The CSA started! The first box had spring lettuces, mushrooms, and radishes, which were a great salad with buttermilk dressing based on this Smitten Kitchen recipe. I doubled the dressing but next time, I'll only use half the sugar (if any); I really like my dressings more tart but this is a great base and used my chives beautifully.

And the box had rhubarb! So it was back to the Smitten Kitchen for her rhubarbrecipes. Woohoo!

Have a great week, and don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menus!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Greetings, menu-planners! Last week started slowly with being wiped out from Mother's Day. One fun thing was my older child saying, "Mommy? Can we have waffles for dinner? I just loved them." Really, why would I say no to that? So we made waffles while the irons were out. With bacon, it made a lovely little spring meal. But I did get some other cooking in, so check below the menu for reviews and links for a few recipes.

This week starts the end-of-school-year craziness around here. I'm the class representative at my college's graduation on Monday (I'm *always* up for a good excuse to wear a cap and gown, and to congratulate kids on a well-earned rite of passage!). Both kids end school on Friday (yes, that wailing and lamentation sound you hear would be me--and, them, happily, because they both love school so much). In between, we have concerts and parties and all kinds of fun. So the theme of the week's dinners is "easy and familiar." Working for me.

Monday: chili from the freezer downstairs, baked potatoes (think I'll try this slow-cooker recipe, as long as it's a no-pressure situation, with maybe one or two of these sweet potatoes for luck), rice, toppings (cheese, scallions, sour cream...chip in with any I'm missing! ooh--chips--tortilla--good one! Anything else?)

Tuesday: sandwiches for small fry, freezer meal (probably pizza) for me; broccoli salad from Smitten Kitchen (realistically also probably for me); we're hoping to get to a play so it has to be a superquick night.

Wednesday: band concert night, so lasagne (regular this time) and maybe spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, salad-from-a-bag (WedSpag! Kind of. Lots of family invited and time pressure to get to the concert, so not really the fun free-for-all that WedSpag is really all about, but it's such a great idea I figure it's worth linking to at any opportunity.)

Thursday: turkey shepherd's pie from the freezer downstairs, augmented with new mashed potatoes and a side of raw beet salad from Mark Bittman (c/o The Tipsy Baker, without whom I never, ever, in a million years would have noticed this recipe despite its presence in THREE of his cookbooks in my home).

Friday: Memorial Day weekend starts--woohoo! Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill if the weather is good, just hot dogs on the stove if not. Potato salad. Regular salad. Leftover anythings.

After Mother's Day, in a pique of cleaning out the refrigerator and cabinets, I (finally) made the sweet & sour pork from Martha Stewart via the always interesting Accidental Hausfrau. Like all stir fries, the annoying part was the prep...washing, chopping, separating according to cook time...but it went ok. I should have re-read the comments and added garlic, ginger, and my newly-beloved five-spice powder to the pork while it was cooking. And while I was about to type, "but I don't like to stray too far from a recipe the first time I make it so I can evaluate it without wondering if my tweaking messed it up," that did not hold true here. I used fresh instead of frozen broccoli, and since I don't eat peppers, I tried shredded carrots instead. And then I remembered the snap peas I had and threw them in. And while looking for the water chestnuts I thought I remembered someone suggesting in the comments, I saw baby corns and tossed them in as well. So the blandness was not for lack of ingredients! Given that, the party, and our usual milk and OJ consumption, we filled three whole recycling containers--a new record for us. And that didn't even include the 2-liter soda bottles since my mother in law wanted some to protect her plants.

I also tried the black bean lasagne. I was too curious not to, and I had all those cans of tomatoes. First, I should have done something different with the diced tomatoes I used to augment the sauce I had. The casserole way overflowed the container (too watery, I'm guessing) and several of the dice wound up on the oven floor. Yecch. Stinky and hard to clean--not my favorite combo. I also made it "her" way, with the cheddar cheese and no cilantro (partly because I didn't have any, and partly in vain hope that without suspicious green things my kids might try it. Ha!). As a lasagna variant, it was fine. Not great, not too strange, just fine. Totally served it purpose here except, alas, to find one more thing my kids would eat!

We also visited our old friend The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper this week. Taking stock of what was in the fridge and freezer, I replaced one of the Italian freezer meals with Crisp Cucumber Shrimp in Retro Goddess Dressing. I really liked it, my husband ate it, and again, my kids went to bed hungry. I thought it was great, though I did add some lemon (not on the recipe! gasp) at the end to brighten up the flavors a little bit. I think I missed the cue to add "more vinegar to taste," but since I would soak virtually everything in vinegar given the chance, I don't really trust myself on that scale. But I am pleased to report that the "Giving Flavor to Frozen Shrimp" secret (boil briefly in water that has simmered with the juice and rind of one lime; dump the water and let sit covered for 15 minutes) worked beautifully. Frozen shrimp will never be as good as fresh, obviously, but this is a great trick for the times when frozen makes more sense.

Strange journey of the week: I saved the whey from my yogurt (now THERE'S a sentence I never, never, never thought I would type in my life) to make the 24-hour bread from the NYTimes, which I had made before with plain old water and enjoyed. This time, I think my yeast was dead, despite a 2010 expiration date. The thing just plain never rose. I was very sad. But then I saw that the awaited bubbles did eventually come, almost another 12 hours later when I was ready to chuck the whole thing and call it a day. So I went ahead with it. It did eventually rise, a little, and then baked up in to this huge gorgeous loaf that was hard to believe came from my oven. And since it was gone in about 24 hours also, in the end it was a success, though it certainly seemed snatched from the jaws of defeat.

Finally, anyone who's read this far: any suggestions for brunch food that travel well? We are providing a family brunch at Sunday morning, though not at our house, so it has to pack. Some prep can be done there. Coffee cakes are obvious. I just did granola, so that's out...any other suggestions for things which travel well or can be mostly assembled at home and finished off somewhere? Quiches/frittatas? Thanks for any thoughts!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day to any moms checking in today! I hope you enjoyed the day. I'm wiped out from getting the house together to host the intimate brunch for 16 today (more on that later) and am geared up for our last regular school week of the year! (sniffle)

Friday: freezer meal--stromboli from band fundraiser for our cousin, salad

We hosted a Mothers' Day brunch this morning, mostly because it's a holiday I can take or leave, but my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law really take it seriously. I'd rather do the stressful hosting thing on a holiday that I am not trying to enjoy myself! We did a brunch, both to accommodate church and baseball schedules, and for something less fancy-shmancy than a dinner. We used my mother's waffle recipe, below, in an homage to her.

Huge success of the week: the Alton Brown granola, recommended by the Tipsy Baker in her Slate article (that was most emailed for almost two days, btw!). It was easy to make at the end of dinner prep one night; the oven was already warming the main course, and the littlest one was happy to do the easy stirring in the big bowl before we added the syrup. Then, as it was slowly baking, the older one was sniffing around happily, saying, "Mmmm! That smell is tasting the air to my nose!" Alas, neither of them enjoyed the final product as much as the production, but it was worth a try, and the little one has added sweetened coconut to the very, very, very short list of Items Considered Edible. Also, this recipe from the new-to-me Aldi Queen (what a great idea--recipes for things that can be made from groceries at Aldi's, Trader Joe's little known, much cheaper sibling!) for Vanilla Scented Granola was also good, but not quite as amazing. Part of that was probably my fault--I didn't have quite the 4 cups of oats called for so while I added more nuts, the granola still came out sticky. And after the sublime sweetness of the maple syrup on Alton Brown's, the honey just seemed too sweet, even for me, and I never turn down anything for being too sweet. Finally, we also tried Katie Lee Joel's "healthy" granola recipe from the late lamented Domino magazine. While I loved that one for its pantry-clearing qualities, I found her cheery selling of this as "healthy" to be baffling, as it has half a stick of butter and a cup and a half of nuts...not at all low-fat, clearly. While it was an enjoyable granola, the Alton Brown version was the clear winner.

Not so much, alas, for the grand yogurt experiment. I wanted to feel like a sorcerer and create this fabulous product but apparently Trader Joe's 0% Fat-Free Greek Yogurt is not an adequate starter as my milk stayed milk and never set. I have no idea other than the starter what I did wrong; I'll try one more time before I give up on it. --->Edited to say: that was only the smaller container that didn't set! The larger one did and we had actual homemade yogurt. My draining technique leaves much to be desired, but it was good, and perfect with all that granola.

1. Place the baking mix in a bowl or wide pitcher.2. With a fork, beat the egg with the oil and stir the liquid into the baking mix. Gradually add the club soda, mixing until all the baking mix is moistened and a slightly thick batter (like buttermilk) forms.3. Let batter rest for 5 minutes. Heat a waffle iron.4. Pour about one-fourth of the batter into the iron. Close the lid and bake until any steam subsides and the waffle browns, about 2 minutes. When done, the waffle and iron should separate easily. Repeat with remaining batter.Note: Use all the batter immediately. Leftover waffles may be frozen. To use, defrost and then reheat in a toaster.Per serving: 368 calories, 6 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 21 grams fat, 54 milligrams cholesterol, 806 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Friday, May 8, 2009

This week, we're playing with questions submitted by other participants!

#1. blueyes’ question. What’s your favorite seafood recipe?

My favorite seafood without a doubt is broiled lobster tail. But since that isn't much of a recipe, I'll go with the sentimental favorite of Rachael Ray's Cioppino. We made it for Christmas Eve dinner the year our first child was Baby Jesus in the Christmas Eve Mass and we had all the relatives over for seven fishes to celebrate. My aunt, who trained at the Cordon Bleu, poached a salmon! It was amazing. But the cioppino, easy as it was, held its own with that stunner and got us to seven fishes (a tradition) in a jiffy. Recipe below.

#2. Italian Ice. Like it, love it or leave it?

Love it. For years when I was working, there was a sidewalk vendor who had soft pretzels and water ice and for $2, I had an awesome summer lunch. Lemon's my favorite, but I am oddly fond of root beer too.

#4. Have you ever eaten so much of something that you felt or got sick?

Strangely, I think the answer is no. I can consume huge quantities of things with no adverse effects. Once when I was little (3?) I ate two huge jars of pickled herring before a party and never was the worse for wear. But my father never ate chocolate after one unfortunate childhood Easter when he ate his whole basket before church. Happily, the aversion was not genetic.

Wanna play? Click on the button on my sidebar for "Fun Crafts and Recipes." And enjoy the cioppino recipe. Do NOT skip the bread!

Chop celery and onion near stove and add to the pot as you work. Saute vegetables for a few minutes to begin to soften and add wine to the pot. Reduce wine a minute, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Season fish chunks with salt and pepper. Add fish and simmer 5 minutes, giving the pot a shake now and then. Do not stir your soup with a spoon after the addition of fish or you will break it up. Add shrimp, scallops, and mussels and cover pot. Cook 10 minutes, giving the pot a good shake now and again.

Remove the lid and discard any mussels that do not open. Carefully ladle stew into shallow bowls and pass bread at the table.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

In other words, help. Spring has sprung and I have other things to do besides cook this week. We're hosting an intimate gathering of 20 for Mothers' Day and my house is Just Plain Not Ready. So we have all quick and easy meals this week, I hope, so I can spend the rest of my time getting the house under control.

Last week, there weren't many new things...I tried this chicken casserole on Wednesday for dinner with my father-in-law before the Arts Awards Assembly at the high school for our nephew. It was good but ... lacking something. I can't tell you what but there was no edge to it ... AND there should only have been one can of soup, for sure. I should have totally listened to my instincts on that one. Two was just too gloppy. But it did a great job using up the extra rice in the fridge and is a decent little base. And oh my--chicken cooked in butter? That's not shabby. I'll have to remember that. I kept the heat on the low side so the butter didn't overbrown, and it didn't take too long either. The chicken didn't brown, but it was definitely white and cooked through--almost looked poached, so would be good in a recipe where you can see the chicken meat too.

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Books I've Read Recently or Am Reading

Marriage and Other Acts of Charity: A Memoir. I won this from other bloggers and really enjoyed the story. Kate Braestrup, the author, is a minister and chaplain of the state police in Maine with a deep interest in science and nature. Her story of her two marriages was thought-provoking and comforting at the same time.

People of the Book. A fictional history of an actual artifact. I am being converted to a Geraldine Brooks fan, one book at a time, for her research abilities if nothing else.

Half the Sky. Also not an easy read emotionally; I had to stop in the middle a few times to catch my breath and be grateful to live in the US. Also inspiring as a reminder that the world is a big place, and choices matter.

Little Bee. Gah. Hard book, great writing--I loved his use of language. Two of my book groups read it and both of them hosted Bead for Life parties afterwards.

Water for Elephants. I had started this a while ago but this time it stuck. Not my favorite, as it was all too realistic in its depiction of a pretty lousy way of life, but the story was interesting and I enjoyed how Sara Gruen crafted the book.

The Help. I know, didn't everyone read this? I really enjoyed it in an another-world kind of way, though like many, I felt the ending a little unjust.

Tender at the Bone. I read this for one of my book groups, along with the companion, Not Becoming my Mother. Ruth Reichl is (duh) a great writer and these were great lived-history pieces.

American Wife. This was my favorite book club pick of the last two years. A fictional imagining of a Barbara Bush-like political wife. I loved it.

Animals in Translation. I was looking for Animals Make Us Human, but they didn't have it at the library yet. And this one caught my attention as our dog was facing surgery so the "Animals and Pain" chapter was of real interest. I love Temple Grandin and admire her gift for sharing her unique perspective with the rest of us neurotypicals. And this was fun and fascinating, to get a glimpse in to the world of unintended animal husbandry consequences.

Under the Banner of Heaven. One of the most frightening books I've ever read in my life. Truly challenging to think that this happens in the US, and that the law is either powerless to stop it or not interested.

The Ten Year Nap. Great fiction, suggested by Moxie, on moms who've mostly stayed at home for almost a decade, and the twists their families' lives take based on what they decide to do next.

The Overachievers. So fun for a recovering admissions officer to read the "inner lives" of a group of kids at a high school I worked with for a decade.

Animal Vegetable Miracle For book group, but also for interest. Of course, I don't live on arable land so I can just gawk at them.

A Walk in the Woods The second month in a row my book group picked a story I knew--yeah! Looking forward to skimming/rereading.

Excellence without a Soul A higher-ed junkie can't do any better than the former dean of Harvard bashing (surprise!) Harvard.

Waiting for Birdy Because I adored Catherine Newman's column on BabyCenter. I like the Wondertime work a lot too but find it harder to get to, so it's nice to have this collection of blog posts off the computer as well.

Water for Elephants For both my book groups. Alas, I missed both discussions. Loved the first chapters and got sidetracked.

Life of Pi I actually bought this for my husband the year it came out in paperback because all his good friends raved. He hasn't gotten to it yet, but my "other" book group read it for this month. Yet another month I didn't get to the meeting but enjoyed the book.

Simple Abundance My sister-in-law's copy. I'm not quite as committed as she was, yet, but some parts are inspirational.

Eat Pray Love. The short chapter format seemed ideal for a reading mom, but I found myself lingering over what she wrote, pondering and eager to get on to the next, so this took longer than I wanted. Overall, an enjoyable escapist read and a great book group discussion.

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. I adored a column Ayelet Waldman wrote for the NYTimes Modern Love column, and despite the heartbreaking subject of this book, I love her writing so much I was willing to brave it. Read in one day.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I know, shouldn't this go without saying? But even though it's the first one since Azkaban I haven't stayed up all night to finish, I loved it. And I didn't realize until my wave of relief at the end how glad I'd be that Harry...oh, no spoilers here. Just in case someone hasn't gotten there yet.

Practically Perfect in Every Way Written by one of the founders of Brain/Child magazine and a friend of a friend, a fascinating look at the world of self-help and how not helpful it can be.